


Thread, yarn and the hole in my shoe

by vxlleyhxe



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - New York City, Fashion designer!Kurapika, I swear there's plot, M/M, Model!Leorio, Mutual Pining, One Night Stands, Porn With Plot, Trans Kurapika
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:54:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29928903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vxlleyhxe/pseuds/vxlleyhxe
Summary: After an impulse hookup with an attractive model Kurapika met at the club, things get awkward at Kurapika’s new workplace when he runs into the very same man that he had never expected to see again.(A fashion-focused romance between Kurapika and Leorio that is equal parts embarrassing as it is shameless)
Relationships: Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight, Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Comments: 12
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Updates will (hopefully!) be frequent. Comments, bookmarks, kudos are always appreciated! Hope you enjoy ^^

“Kurapika!” The head seamstress, Bisky, called out loudly as her layers of lanyards clinked with each step of her black suede heels. With a huff of annoyance at the lack of her employee, she turned to one of her assistants with a scowl. “Get me a coffee!” They scampered off quickly to accommodate the scariest boss their company had ever seen.

She eventually found Kurapika sitting anywhere _but_ at his desk chair, working away at the beading on a silk top with his cheap earbuds dangling from his ears precariously. His brow was furrowed in focus at his task as his trained hands held the applicator steadily despite turning his lap into his workspace of the day, opting to hunch over on a barstool.

Bisky waved her manicured nails - electric pink and expensive as all hell - in front of Kurapika’s face. His eyes widened and he looked up from his work, finally acknowledging his boss’ presence. Instead of getting up from his spot and practically stumbling over himself to appease Bisky, he reached up to pull one of his earbuds out, tinny music loud enough to be heard from where Bisky was standing. She winced.

“Were you calling me?” he asked, unruffled. Bisky’s eye twitched and Kurapika shrinked backwards slightly, all of the horror stories that ex-employees had told him about working under her one-woman dictatorial reign of terror rushing back to him.

“Yes, I _was_ ,” she pressed and tapped the bottom of her foot on the cheap carpeted floor of Kurapika’s small work cubicle. He was just one of many spectacled, fresh faces in the workforce that were crammed into tiny offices slaving over pieces all day. However… Bisky saw potential in him. Underneath his surface, there was immeasurable talent. And even she could see that to keep Kurapika hidden away would be a horrible mistake. “I’m going to have you pack up your office. You’re no longer working for me.”

If Bisky was going to lose such a valuable asset to her company, well, she might as well enjoy seeing him squirm for the last time.

“Pardon?” Kurapika reeled, looking up at his boss with his eyebrows raised. “You’re firing me?” She understood his confusion, of course. Kurapika was one of the most hardworking employees she had received in over fifteen years in the business. He met his deadlines, surpassed her expectations and was able to create his own ideas. She would be a fool to willingly get rid of him.

“I guess you could say that,” Bisky tried to suppress the evil grin that was slowly stretching across her lips at Kurapika’s shell-shockedness. He was no doubt worrying about how he was going to pay his rent, or about how his dreams were being crushed in front of her…Bisky wasn’t ashamed to deny the glee that she took in laying off rookies. But, she reminded herself, this decision wasn’t even hers to make.

“Miss,” Kurapika interjected. “I don’t understand, what did I do wrong-”

“Don’t worry so much, Kurapika,” she finally interjected to to shut Kurapika down. His face was unamused but he kept his mouth closed. “You’re going to give me premature wrinkles.”

_Isn’t she almost sixty…?_ Kurapika thought to himself.

“I was just teasing you, a bit,” Bisky finally admitted. “You’re still leaving the company though. Ha! Don’t give me that face,” she giggled at Kurapika’s aghast expression. _I should probably stop,_ Bisky concluded as she watched Kurapika grit his teeth. _He looks like he’s going to deck me in about two more seconds._

“No point in keeping it from you any longer, I suppose,” Bisky preened and shuffled the documents tucked under her arm. “You’ve been offered a position as the head designer for a new fashion line that’s starting its debut with a show. You can read about it on these papers here, later,” Bisky nodded at the document under her arm and sighed with irritation as Kurapika grabbed for the stack of paper. “Or now. Whatever. I just wanted to congratulate you on such a big break so early on in your career. As well as to give you a fair warning: you’d have to be a _complete_ idiot to turn this opportunity down.”

Kurapika’s eyes skimmed over the document quickly, nodding in dull agreement, not really paying attention to what Bisky was saying. “Thanks,” he uttered with a slack mouth as he read over the details of the position. It definitely sounded more appealing than the gig he was currently running as an embellisher in a slightly updated _production line_.

“Well. If that’s all,” Bisky interrupted his reading, “You had better get your stuff together. Good luck with your new job. _Now where’s my fucking coffee?_ ” She waved her hands about in annoyance as she whirled around in the doorway of Kurapika’s cubicle and collided with the fidgety intern who had been waiting behind her. Kurapika watched as his boss got drenched with coffee in front of him and had never been more glad to have been laid off of a job in his life.

…

“That’s great, Kurapika!” Pairo chattered excitedly on the other side of the line as Kurapika waited for the bus to come pick him up. He held his hand out to catch some droplets of water that was trickling down the side of the bus stop he was taking shelter under. April in New York city was always the most miserably rainy.

“Yeah, well…” Kurapika bit his lip. Pairo picked up on his nervous tone and jumped in.

“You’ll be great, I’m sure of it. Every teacher of yours always said that you had a natural gift for designing.”

“That was _before_ I was given a two-month deadline,” Kurapika protested. “It’s insane. The form said that I had until the start of July to finish twenty-four whole outfits, four for each model. That’s batshit insane.”

Pairo hesitated. “Are they giving you any helpers?”

“I mean, yeah. They have people running the backstage, and doing makeup and hair, and I have a small group of people who can help me make the clothes. But its my job to be in charge of designing, creating and tailoring the outfits. _Argh_ ,” Kurapika pressed a hand to his forehead as he let out a grumble. “I just hope I can pull it all off.”

“I’m sure you will,” Pairo repeated cheerily. “Hey, I got to go now. And happy birthday again, Pika, you old fucker.”

“I’m only two years ahead of you!” Kurapika snapped back to receding laughs before his phone screen went black as the call hung up. That was right; twenty-six years of dealing with his younger brother and yet he felt so old and weathered compared to Pairo, who spent his uni days partying and rubbing his _youth_ in Kurapika’s face.

Kurapika shook his head with a little chuckle at himself. Two years were not nearly enough to blame for his melancholy attitude- it was just that Pairo was more of a people’s person, an opposite compared to Kurapika who holed up in his small apartment and only left for his job and occasional trips to the market down the street. He hadn’t been gone out for a date, even, since back in university.

He spent the bus ride staring out his window, clutching his bag containing all of his small trinkets and projects from his _former_ job closer to his chest. It had been even less than a year since he’d gotten used to working for Bisky, and now he was being thrown into a whole new company with his eyes closed. Needless to say, Kurapika was overthinking things.

Kurapika nodded at his bus driver quickly once he stepped out, walking with one hand on the strap of his bag and the other in his pocket. When he slipped off his work shoes and padded through his living room to drop his bag off on the couch, Kurapika was painfully aware of the deafening quiet that filled his apartment. The only noises to be heard were the soft _pings_ emitted from his phone every so often, likely a couple of his facebook mutuals wishing him happy birthday. He ignored them and made himself a cup of tea, sitting on his couch while looking outside at the rain, still going strong.

He was overwhelmed with the sadness that overtook him suddenly, that finally broke through his barrier of emotions as he sat in an empty apartment, alone on his birthday. His only family member was three thousand miles away, he felt old as hell, and he hadn’t been laid in months.

“This is one depressing fucking birthday,” Kurapika muttered as he stared down at his mug, quickly growing cold. After stewing in self pity for longer than Kurapika would have liked to admit, an idea hit him like a bolt of lightning and he got up quickly to go change in his room, cup of tea left forgotten on his side table.

…

“Thanks for coming with me, Melody,” Kurapika said, embarrassed, as he toyed with his _practically_ sheer collared shirt knotted at his waist that he paired with tight black pants and small black studs. He hadn’t dressed up for going clubbing in forever and had had a miserable time digging through his closet to find an outfit that would be somewhat appropriate for a night out.

Melody waved her hand gently in dismissal. “It was no problem, really,” her voice floated just like her name, “I was going to go out regardless.” Completely unexpectedly, and just like a slap to the face, it seemed like even Melody had more of a nightlife than Kurapika did.

“Right,” Kurapika nodded, dazed, as he held the club door open for Melody. Inside it was all booming music and strobing lights, a bit too busy for what Kurapika normally enjoyed when he had time off. Regardless, he pushed through his slight discomfort and let himself be led by the hand through the crowd of people by Melody, making a beeline for the bar at the back of the club.

“Hello again, Melody,” the bartender greeted with a grin. “Had a rough week?” Melody giggled and struck up an amicable chat with the man who was handling their drinks, pointing at different options on the menu as they talked. Kurapika immediately felt left out and toyed with the plastic end of his own menu.

After Kurapika’s drink of choice (a Death in the Afternoon cocktail. It tasted like bitter black licorice, but the burning in his stomach after he drank it was not entirely unpleasant) was sitting in a glass between his hands, Kurapika turned his attention to people-watching, a guilty pleasure type of activity that he rarely got to do. It was probably one of the many side effects of his introverted lifestyle.

One stranger in particular caught his attention, fumbling around with his friends on the dance floor. The bunch looked to be intoxicated already, as they danced with zero rhythm, colliding with each other occasionally. Kurapika’s heart leaped in his throat as the brunette’s eyes met his own, hazel green on dull grey.

Kurapika swirled his drink around in his fingers, only a small sip of the cocktail left in the glass and made up his mind, feeling his body being pulled towards the dance floor. “Melody, I think I’m going to go dance,” Kurapika murmured as if in a trance. Melody’s eyebrows shot up but nodded her head anyways, letting Kurapika lose himself in the crowd. It wasn’t often, if ever, that Kurapika willingly got up to dance unless he was at _least_ three more drinks into the night.

He wandered as inconspicuously as he could, his dance moves limited to the gentle nodding of his head to the heavy bass. For the most part, Kurapika was stealing quick glances at the handsome stranger, tall and broad shouldered with a surprisingly tapered waist through his tight short-sleeved shirt.

Kurapika must have spent too much of his attention focused on the man because he could hardly hold himself steady when someone bumped into him from behind, causing him to go careening into the very man that he had been ogling. Kurapika could hear the surprised laughter that came from above his head as he looked up at the stranger, steadying himself with both of his palms resting on the man’s chest.

“Hey there,” his voice rumbled out, about as rugged and _attractive_ as Kurapika had been expecting. The scent of cologne and beer was prominent on the man’s clothes, but it contributed to the whole aesthetic that the dark stranger had going on. “You alright?”

Kurapika let go of the man’s chest quickly, wrapping his arms around his chest. “Yes,” he stammered out and could feel his cheeks heating up. “I’m sorry for hitting you like that.” The man chuckled again, patting Kurapika on the shoulder firmly.

“It’s alright,” his eyes practically twinkled, and Kurapika couldn’t tell if it was the lighting in the club or not. “I definitely didn’t mind it.” Kurapika could feel his whole _face_ setting alight, losing control over himself from one sentence uttered by an attractive man.

“Thank you, I suppose,” Kurapika said and felt his mouth curling up into a small smile. Kurapika knew should have walked off then, but he found himself rooted in place, unable to do anything but sway to the beat while maintaining eye contact with the man in front of him. He had to crane his neck just to look into the man’s eyes, seeing as he towered over Kurapika with an incredible height.

“You’re insanely tall,” Kurapika murmured, starting a conversation with the man, whose hand that was _still on_ his shoulder started rubbing small circles into the skin there.

“When you’re a model, that’s pretty much the number one criteria,” the stranger laughed. Kurapika raised his eyebrows.

“A model? That would explain everything,” he said, giving the man a once-over.

“Explains my dashing good looks, you mean,” the man joked, wiggling his eyebrows. However, Kurapika agreed with him with a nod of his head and a serious expression.

“That too.” The man was caught off guard at Kurapika’s response and slowed his petting, bringing his second arm up to Kurapika’s waist. Kurapika didn’t stop him, and instead spurred the man on by placing his hand on the man’s chest once more, this time on purpose.

“So what’s your name?” The stranger asked him, letting his gaze trail all over Kurapika’s body. Kurapika basked in the attention, loving the searing drag of a handsome model’s eyes running up and down his body.

“Kurapika,” he answered, not caring enough to be wary of a random man that he met in a club. The man just nodded carefully, splaying his fingers out on Kurapika’s small hips, settling in his belt loops and pulling Kurapika just the slightest bit closer.

“That’s original. I’ve never heard that name before.”

“What’s yours, then, Mister rakishly-handsome-model?”

“Leorio Paladiknight,” the man supplied, dipping his head downwards in order for Kurapika to hear his voice over the loud music. Kurapika filed the name away in his brain and ignored the heat that curled in his stomach at the proximity of their bodies, chests practically touching.

“Nice to meet you,” Kurapika smirked at Leorio as he rolled his hips, feeling his nervousness slough off of him like a second skin. He was close enough to Leorio to hear how the man’s breath stuttered with his actions, how his heartbeat was slightly erratic. Kurapika’s own heart felt like it was going at the same pace as Leorio’s hands ran over the expanse of his small back, tracing the line of his back through the sheer material of his shirt.

“Nice to meet you, as well,” Leorio grinned as Kurapika threw an arm around Leorio’s neck, blinking up at him through low-set eyes, covered by his thick lashes. Just to see how much of a reaction he could get from Leorio, Kurapika leaned in even closer until their lips were practically touching and tugged on the neck of Leorio’s shirt.

Kurapika followed the bob of Leorio’s adam’s apple as he took a large gulp, his fingers finally resting in Kurapika’s messy blonde hair, pushing back the shorter man’s bangs from where they fell into his eyes.

“Do you think you’re going to regret this when you're sober?” Kurapika murmured onto Leorio’s lips, tickling the curve of the man’s cheek with the batting of his eyelashes.

Leorio closed his eyes and laughed quietly. “Not at all.”

The affirmation was all it took to build Kurapika’s confidence up enough to make the first move, throwing his arms around Leorio’s neck and licking into the man’s mouth with fervor. He could feel Leorio smiling into the kiss before returning Kurapika’s energy, more controlled and experienced than Kurapika felt.

“I don’t know if this is too sudden, but I _really_ want to take you back to my place,” Leorio said as soon as they broke apart, making Kurapika look back to try and see Melody. Hopefully she would understand.

“I would love to,” Kurapika smiled shyly back, taking Leorio’s hand in his own and letting himself be dragged outside to hail a taxi in the rain, laughing slightly tipsily with Leorio as they crammed together in the back seat, letting their hands run over the other’s body with little giggles all the way to Leorio’s apartment complex.

Leorio gave the driver a hefty tip for putting up with them, and Kurapika patted himself on the back for his successful night out as they rode the elevator up to Leorio’s place.

_Eat shit, Pairo,_ Kurapika thought to himself. _Looks like I’m not too old and grumpy to get laid after all._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthday sex bcs we all know Kurapika needs it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is sponsored by the song "love is a bitch" by two feet lmao

“Top floor?” Kurapika panted against Leorio’s lips as the elevator dropped them off at the highest level of the building, big enough for only one apartment to stretch out and enjoy the view of the city underneath it.

“Yup,” Leorio supplied as the elevator opened to reveal a massive apartment with more than one floor, connected by a spiralling staircase. “My room key controls the elevator, to prevent people from walking into my apartment just because they accidentally pressed the wrong button.”

Kurapika nodded slackly, still shocked at how beautiful Leorio’s apartment was. “Modelling pays well, I suppose?” he quipped and tugged on Leorio’s arm, taking his shoes off quickly and reaching back up to kiss Leorio. Instead, the model placed his hands underneath Kurapika’s hips and lifted the man up like he weighed nothing. Kurapika startled and wrapped his legs around Leorio’s midsection tightly as the man carried him up the stairs all the way to his bedroom.

He dropped Kurapika down onto his bed, atop the neatly pressed and folded black sheets. Leorio crawled on top of him and cornered Kurapika in with his large forearms, built and sculpted. His breath tickled Kurapika’s neck as Leorio leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Just to let you know, I’ve, um. _Never been with a trans guy before?_ ” he asked almost nervously, voice pitching at the end. “Not that I’m trying to make assumptions! I think you pass very well!” Leorio continued quickly. “It was just the lack of an adam’s apple, that’s all.” Kurapika watched in amusement as the cool and collected man on top of him flustered about, trying not to hurt his feelings. _That’s pretty adorable_ , Kurapika thought to himself.

“Have you been with a woman before?” Kurapika asked, cupping Leorio’s cheek and tracing the man’s jaw sweetly as he nodded. “Same thing, but give me more passion. And if you call me _mommy_ I’m walking out of here faster than you can blink.”

Leorio nodded deeply. “Just tell me if anything makes you uncomfortable.” Kurapika merely chuckled in response, petting Leorio’s head softly. 

“Thank you. If you would like, I can…?” Kurapika gestured toward the man’s jeans, silently offering his services. Leorio pinkened and dipped his head down to press soft kisses down Kurapika’s throat, from the back of his ear to his prominent collarbones.

“That wouldn’t be fair,” Leorio muttered against Kurapika’s neck, ghosting his lips down milky skin. “I was the one who asked if you would come back to my apartment with me. Let me take care of you.”

Kurapika’s fingers came up to tangle in Leorio’s ebony hair. “That sounds- _ah_ ,” he stuttered as Leorio’s mouth sucked harshly on the dip next to his exposed shoulders, “lovely.” Kurapika sunk backwards into the sheets and arched his back, rocking up into Leorio’s body as he marked his skin with a small smile.

After a little while of laying love bites on Kurapika’s neck, Leorio leaned back on his thighs to observe his work, pulling off his slightly damp t-shirt as he did so. From his angle, Kurapika was able to ogle Leorio’s abs, the dip of his navel… shedding any ounce of shame, Kurapika brought his eyes up to Leorio’s nipples. He gasped with delight when he realized they were pierced, glinting almost sinfully in the dim apartment lighting.

Leorio grinned down at Kurapika, noticing the man’s focus on his torso. “It’s such a pain to have these piercings, to be honest. For most of my shirtless shoots, they make me take them off, which still hurts like a _bitch_ even though I got them in uni. I was thinking about taking them out for good, actually-”

“Keep them,” Kurapika cut in quickly, his eyes flashing, hips still being straddled by Leorio’s thighs. Leorio groaned as Kurapika rolled his midsection upwards, demanding the man’s attention.

“Maybe I will,” Leorio agreed breathlessly. Kurapika smirked victoriously, running his fingers over the cold metal piercings as Leorio stiffened, nipples hardening quickly.

“Now, are you going to make light of your promise or am I going to have to fuck _myself?_ ” Kurapika raised one brow pointedly, tugging off his pants and raising his arms above his head to let Leorio pull the sheer fabric off of him, tossing it in a ball to the side.

“Much as I would like to see that, I stay true to my word,” Leorio said and followed the line of Kurapika’s hips, teasing Kurapika through his underwear before the blonde huffed and ripped his last piece of clothing off. It joined his shirt on the ground, long forgotten.

Kurapika’s hands left Leorio’s hair and came to stifle the moan that threatened to burst out of his mouth as Leorio suddenly went down on him, giving small licks into his cunt. Leorio’s large hands, firm and toned, gripped into Kurapika’s small thighs as he squirmed about, holding him steady. Leorio eventually abandoned his little act of being delicate with Kurapika and his licks gave way to harsh thrusts of his tongue, going impossibly deep and making Kurapika sigh with pleasure.

He could feel his eyes roll to the back of his head as Leorio brushed against his clit, swirling around it and making Kurapika’s pulse quicken as he felt his midsection heating up. “ _Nngh_ , Leorio,” Kurapika panted. “You feel so amazing. You’re doing so well, baby.”

Leorio rolled his clit between his teeth, applying just the right amount of pressure to make Kurapika lose his mind. “ _Baby?_ ” he asked in surprise, and Kurapika could practically see the wide smirk on the model’s face. However, any retaliations he might have thrown back in defense at the man died on his tongue as Kurapika could feel his legs twitching underneath him. He was flushed from his thighs to the tips of his ears, hot and melted underneath even the slightest touch of Leorio’s hands.

“Just for tonight,” Kurapika reminded Leorio with a pant, wanting to make his intentions clear to the man. As a response, Leorio pulled Kurapika impossibly closer by his hips and thrust his tongue into his wet, swollen cunt as far as he could. Kurapika’s eyes crossed as fat tears beaded at the corners of his eyes.

“Fuck, Leorio, I’m gonna cum,” Kurapika stuttered out soon enough, the sensations overwhelming him. “ _Ah-h!_ ” he cried, feeling himself clench around nothing as Leorio removed his tongue and licked his lips cockily.

Kurapika threw an arm over his eyes as he tried to come down from his high, heart beating erratically. He hadn’t felt a release quite like that in years. However, he wouldn’t say he was completely _satisfied_. And, judging by the look on Leorio’s face, neither was he. Kurapika felt the bed rustle underneath him as Leorio scrambled to pull off the rest of his clothes and finally opened his eyes, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Are you too tired to keep going? I would understand, of course,” Leorio asked gently, rubbing a soothing hand down Kurapika’s thigh. Any thoughts of tiredness left his head as Kurapika’s eyes followed the movements of the man’s hand, the desire to thank Leorio for the way he felt _consuming_ him wholly.

“There is nothing I would like more right now than for you to shut up and _fuck me_ with all that you have,” Kurapika spat out, eyes glinting with a leering smile. Leorio ran a hand through his hair before inching closer to Kurapika, running his hands down the man’s chest and down his stomach, careful to mind Kurapika’s scars.

“Gladly,” Leorio growled and took his cock in his hand, heavy and practically leaking precum. Kurapika observed with pride how affected he had made Leorio without even touching the man. Finally deciding that he had spent long enough being greedy, Kurapika reached for Leorio’s cock and ran his fingers down it softly, stroking from base to tip.

“You’re _big,_ ” Kurapika marvelled, kiss-stung mouth pearly and wet. Leorio chuckled and tried his hardest not to rock up into Kurapika’s soft hands as he toyed with his slit.

“Or so I’ve been told,” Leorio said and Kurapika didn’t doubt the man’s words. Something primal and _jealous_ curled in the pit of his stomach and Kurapika ran his tongue over his teeth, looking at Leorio with hungry eyes.

“Do your damage,” Kurapika demanded, lying back against the pillow and spreading his legs open for Leorio as the man settled between them. Leorio rubbed the insides of Kurapika’s thighs and led his tip to Kurapika’s spread labia.

“I got tested recently and I’m clean,” Leorio said, the tip of his dick almost teasing in its cherry-red color. Kurapika nodded slowly.

“I’m clean as well. I haven’t been with anyone in a while, so…” he trailed off. Leorio nodded, mirroring Kurapika’s actions. He reached for the bottle of lube and a condom sitting on his dresser, quickly prepping his cock before retaking his position with his tip pressed against Kurapika’s labia.

“I’ll make this feel really good, then,” Leorio said before pushing the first couple of inches in, hissing at Kurapika’s enveloping heat. Kurapika was hissing as well, but for other reasons. He felt thoroughly filled to the brim in the short couple of seconds with Leorio’s cock inside of him.

“Are you all the way in yet?” Kurapika asked through grit teeth. Leorio looked down at him sheepishly and shrugged one shoulder up.

“About… halfway?”

“Holy fucking _shit_ ,” Kurapika gasped. He wasn’t sure if it had just been too long since he had been fucked properly or if it was just Leorio’s sheer _size_ that was so impressive. To work him through the process, Leorio tickled the underside of Kurapika’s chin before reaching to lace their fingers together, their entwined hands laying on the mattress next to Kurapika’s head.

“Breathe,” Leorio whispered soothingly, “Just tell me if it hurts too much. I’ll stop.” All Kurapika could do gape dumbly at the _tenderness_ in Leorio’s voice. He had never experienced such affection in even some of his full-fledged relationships, even less so in hookups. Regardless, Leorio’s gestures grounded him and soon he felt the pain give way to pleasure, searing hot and gratifying.

Leorio felt the change in Kurapika’s mood as the blonde moved his hips with Leorio’s thrusts, getting increasingly harsher and deeper, hitting Kurapika in all the best places. With the repetitive pounding of his thin body into the mattress, Kurapika could feel himself slowly losing his control once again. Luckily enough for him, so was the handsome man on top of him.

“Damn, Kurapika, I’m close,” Leorio groaned as Kurapika constricted around him, hot and restrictive and perfect. Kurapika’s eyes crossed and his grasp on Leorio’s hand tightened as they fell into a rhythm, Leorio’s cock barely leaving Kurapika’s wet cunt.

“Ha- _ah_ ,” Kurapika moaned, writhing around as Leorio’s cock brushed against his clit. “So am I. You feel so _good_ inside of me.” Leorio buried his face in Kurapika’s shoulder and continued to fuck into him, thrusts becoming frenzied and erratic.

“You’re stunning. So, so beautiful… I feel so lucky to have you like this,” Leorio murmured into the crook of Kurapika’s neck, making him whimper in the back of his throat.

“ _Leorio!_ Ah! I- I feel lucky to have met you as well,” Kurapika cried out, moans giving way to cries of desperation as he raced towards the edge for the second time that night. “Cum in me, please _,_ _Daddy_ ,” he hiccuped the nickname, not thinking properly as he wrapped his legs around Leorio’s midsection.

“Fuck,” Leorio moaned, spurred on by the blonde’s words, “ _Kurapika!”_ he practically shouted as he came inside of Kurapika, swallowing up Kurapika’s mewls by kissing him deeply. Kurapika came quickly after, clenching around Leorio’s cock and enjoying the feeling of Leorio’s lips on his, of the man’s large cock spurting excess cum that dribbled onto his abdomen.

Once Leorio pulled out of him and threw away the condom, he got up to go fetch a towel to clean them up. Kurapika went to follow him, but Leorio protested and insisted that Kurapika stay in bed and rest. Kurapika felt slightly guilty, but let Leorio do his thing nonetheless.

After fussing over Kurapika in an almost heartwarming way, Leorio finally rolled over and let Kurapika have his space, facing away from him on the bed. Kurapika waited with his eyes open, staring up at the ceiling as traffic roared on several stories beneath them until he was sure Leorio was asleep to peel back the sheet covers to feel around for his clothes in the dark.

Kurapika ended up lingering around the doorway of Leorio’s bedroom for longer than he would have liked to admit, pausing to admire the harsh lines of Leorio’s jaw contrasting with his long, dark lashes that fanned out over his cheeks as he slept. As a last moment decision, Kurapika padded over to Leorio’s side of the bed and pressed a gentle kiss into the man’s forehead, careful not to wake him up.

“Thank you, Leorio,” he whispered as quietly as he could, “My birthday turned out a lot better than I had expected.” Kurapika smiled softly, feeling rather sad once more before forcing himself to get up and leave properly, shutting Leorio’s door with a small _click._

The ride down the seemingly never-ending elevator seemed a lot less magical when he didn’t have Leorio by his side.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrollo is giving me very "Michael from the office/your local corner store creepfuck" vibes idk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap is sponsored by literally any lady gaga song- chromatica is a very good album, I have to admit.

Kurapika woke up sprawled out on his couch, still wearing the clothes he had worn to the club. He pushed himself up with a groan, beams of sunlight blinding him from the small window in his living room. He blinked his eyes groggily, briefly wondering what in the hell the _infernal ringing noise_ blasting his ears was.

With a sudden realization, Kurapika scrambled to get off the couch and find his phone, the constant blaring reminding him that he had a job to get to. It took everything in him to resist screaming into his pillow. He had ten short minutes to get ready before he had to light a fire under his ass and run to his new job’s building, seeing as he didn’t have a car.

He spent at least half of his time sifting through his closet once more, scrambling his brain on what to wear in front of a professional designer. Kurapika finally decided on a pair of tightly pressed black pants, a silk shirt and a tailored suit jacket, to make a good impression but not to be overkill. If university taught him anything, it was that there were a lot of mistakes to be made when you worked in the fashion industry.

Kurapika passed his kitchen without second thought, his stomach grumbling in protest. The only things he had ingested in the past twenty-four hours had been an overpriced cocktail and his own cum off of Leorio’s lips.

Well. He pushed that second thought as far back into his mind as he could, locking up his apartment before taking the steps downwards two at a time. Focusing on the task at hand, Kurapika followed his phone blindly down the city streets, trying to find the office where he was supposed to meet the models as well as his new boss. The absolute worst thing he could do was be late to his newest employment.

A bell jangled overhead as Kurapika pushed open the office’s door, taking in the pristine lobby. The receptionist seated behind a large desk glanced up quickly from her computer and watched Kurapika over the top of her spectacles.

“Who are you here for?” she asked, hands stilling on her keyboard momentarily.

“Chrollo Lucilfer,” Kurapika responded. The receptionist pointed him down the hallway, a little ways to the left before he thanked her and set off.

He knocked on the door of a large office, bearing _Chrollo Lucilfer, Manager_ in brass letters. A muffled cry of “come in!” could be heard, before being drowned out by raucous laughter. Kurapika furrowed his brow but pushed the door open regardless, finding himself in a large conference room with one table running down the middle, more than enough space to fit ten people on each end. The far wall was made of one-sided glass that let the sunlight seep into the room pleasantly.

Even in a rather casual outfit, Kurapika felt instantly overdressed amongst the chattering people in the room. They all wore variations of jeans and some even had tank tops on, sweaters wrapped around their waists or thrown over the backs of chairs. Cups of water lined the table, with a full pitcher at the center of it. Kurapika cleared his throat hesitantly.

“Um, is this the modelling team for Chrollo Lucilfer?” Kurapika clutched his notebook closer to his chest, feeling scrutinized as everyone’s eyes turned to him, conversations dying down to murmurs.

An attractive woman with shocking pink hair popped a bubble from the gum she had been chewing. “Yup,” she responded. “Who are you?”

_Harsh,_ Kurapika thought to himself. Whoever she was, the pink haired woman was intimidating. He briefly flashed back to being around loud people like her in high school and cringed at the memories.

“Kurapika Kurta. I’m supposed to be the head designer for the upcoming fashion show…?” Kurapika trailed off, observing the group of people to see if any of them would recognize the name. A tall blonde woman next to the pink haired one shrugged and stuck her hands on her hips, shifting her weight on towering heels.

“You can wait here until Chrollo comes, I guess. He’s always late to his _own_ meetings,” she rolled her eyes before extending a hand to Kurapika. “I’m Pakunoda. You can call me Paku.” Kurapika nodded his head.

“Alright. Nice to meet you,” he said and took a seat at the table, setting his bag next to his chair as the others took their spots around him.

They went down the line and introduced themselves. Kurapika soon found out that the models were a lot nicer than he had originally anticipated, fearing the worst- that they would be stuck-up, bossy, hard to work with. Instead, they felt like drinking partners, one big friend group that graciously let him hang out with them.

Or at least, most of the people were nice. As it turned out, it wasn’t just models assembled, but the whole production crew. Pakunoda was the most experienced female model, posing as a bit of a leader for the rest of the group. Her friend Machi was also pretty experienced in the field.

A rather petite girl with large glasses and short black hair introduced herself as Shizuku and revealed to Kurapika that it was her first time being with an agency since she had been scouted.

The male models were less inviting. An insanely tall man with red hair spent the entire time before the meeting staring down at his phone in his lap, smiling rather terrifyingly. Kurapika never caught his name, and wasn’t sure he _really_ wanted to.

In the same spirit, the man sitting next to Phone Guy was a starkly androgynous man with waist length, raven-colored hair. Pakunoda whispered to Kurapika from where she was seated that his name was Illumi. Kurapika tried to avoid eye contact with the man. Since he had arrived, Kurapika doubted Illumi had blinked even once.

Kurapika’s attention shifted from the odd duo to the excited blonde with a bowl cut and a pair of headphones around his neck. “I’m Shalnark, in charge of lighting and music. Apparently I’m not tall enough to be considered a model,” the blonde said and stuck out his tongue. Kurapika’s eyes shifted over to Shizuku quizzically, wondering how she had become a model despite being even shorter than himself. Shalnark followed Kurapika’s eyes with a chuckle.

“One word. Heels.”

Suddenly, the office door opened with a small creak and everyone, including Kurapika this time, looked over to see a man with a long black vest entering the room, tapping his shoes off on the small mat next to the door while folding his sunglasses up and tucking them away into his pocket. The model’s seemed to stiffen around Kurapika as the energy in the room changed.

“Sorry I’m late, everyone,” the man said with a wink. “I got a bit caught up on work.”

_Ah. So this must be Chrollo._ Kurapika got up from his seat and went over to shake Chrollo’s hand as the man raised his dark eyebrows.

“Oh, you’re my new employee, right? Kurrapike,” Chrollo said with a grin, shaking Kurapika’s hand firmly while butchering his name. Kurapika resisted the urge to wince.

“Ah. Yes. I’m looking forward to working for you.”

“I’m looking forward to having you work with us,” Chrollo shot back, still shaking Kurapika’s hand. The blonde tried to wrestle out of his grasp subtly.

Chrollo sat at the head of the table, folding his hands in front of him. “Is everyone here?”

Pakunoda did a quick head count. “It looks like we’re missing someone…?” she shifted around in her seat to try to find who the culprit was before Shalnark piped up.

“It’s Leorio who’s missing. He probably got us food again,” he said and twirled his headphone wire around his finger. The name made Kurapika startle, his heart pounding in his chest.

_No, it couldn’t be,_ Kurapika thought to himself. _I’m sure tons of people have that name. It’s just a coincidence._

Kurapika didn’t get much longer to think about it because just then, the office door swung open once more. “Sorry I’m late, but I brought doughnuts to make up for it,” a familiar voice called out behind Kurapika. The warm press of a man’s body reached over Kurapika’s shoulder as the man placed a box of doughnuts in the middle of the table, next to the pitcher of water. Kurapika’s traitor heart soared at the scent of cologne that so closely matched that of the sheets he had been strewn in just the other day.

Kurapika turned around slowly in his seat with wide eyes to blink upwards at the man behind him, throat going dry. He watched as Leorio’s eyes went comically large as well and gaped down at Kurapika, a very prominent blush spreading across his face. Kurapika shook his head softly, trying to tell Leorio to not make any sort of reaction. Leorio picked up on the movement and sat down silently as his coworkers reached for the doughnuts greedily, mumbling thanks around bites of the dessert.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck,_ Kurapika chanted in his head. _Shit. This is the worst day of my life. Of course Leorio had to show up at my new job, because the world fucking hates me. Leorio, the man who ate me out yesterday. The guy who I left without even a note._ He could feel the tips of his ears turn red as the night’s events rushed back to him like water bursting through a broken dam.

_I called this man Daddy! Fuck!_

Kurapika pointedly avoided looking over in Leorio’s direction despite feeling the man’s eyes on him from across the table. He found it increasingly hard to pay attention to what Chrollo was saying, catching snippets of conversation while trying to calm himself down.

“-and Kurapika’s going to be taking your measurements and tailoring your clothes for the next month, so make sure to be on time for your appointments with him! In the meantime, I expect daily workouts, healthy food…” Chrollo frowned at the doughnuts on the table. Kurapika could have sworn that he saw Shizuku shove one into her purse.

“Anyways.” Chrollo shuffled his cards on the table, reviewing his notes. “The theme we’re going for is representative of this company itself- sleek, put-together, simplistic yet elegant. A wearable line for business tycoons not unlike myself,” the man preened and adjusted his tie as the models in the room stared at him blankly.

“No? Alright. Well, your only jobs are to walk down the runway and look good, so remember that. I think that brings our little meeting to an end!” Chrollo slapped his thighs and pushed himself up from the table. “Kurapika, if you could hang back a bit? Alone?”

Kurapika nodded as the people around him got up and took their things with them. Leorio was the last one of the models and crew to leave the room, shooting Kurapika a lingering look over his shoulder, hesitating at the doorway momentarily as though there was something he needed to say, which he surely _did._ After a moment, though, Leorio decided against it and walked out of the room shaking his head, jogging to catch up with the rest of the models. Kurapika turned to face his boss.

“So, Kurapika,” Chrollo nodded, leaning against the desk casually. Kurapika stood straight, clutching the strap of his crossbody tight against his chest in slight unease. “I just wanted to talk deadlines with you. You’re aware of the contract that you signed, that the show’s in a little over two months? Think you can make it?”

Kurapika fiddled with the latch of his bag. “I’m positive I can,” he deadpanned. The last thing employers wanted to hear was a doubtful employee, that much he knew. “I think I will find working with your crew to be very enjoyable.”

“I do hope so. Our collaboration will hopefully be as well. _Enjoyable_.” Chrollo grinned, his canines showing the slightest bit. Kurapika could feel his nose scrunching in distaste against his accord.

“Mm. I’ll have the sketches for the outfits ready by Monday of next week. Does that sound like fast enough for you?” Kurapika asked, trying to sidestep Chrollo’s oddly flirtatious ways of communicating.

“That sounds quite fine. Do you remember the outfits I asked for specifically?”

“One office appropriate outfit, one banquet outfit, one casual outfit and one soirée outfit. Four for each model, fitting the theme of business casual with the appropriate color palettes assigned to each model,” Kurapika recited back to Chrollo. Even to his ears, it sounded like an incredible amount of work to pull off.

“Exactly correct! I have no doubts about you,” Chrollo patted Kurapika on the shoulder, dropping his voice lower to a whisper. “I know you’ll make me proud. Say, you could even be a model yourself, with looks like yours…”

“Ah. Um,” Kurapika squinted his eyes and nudged his shoulder away from Chrollo’s hand. “Thank you. I’ll be going now.” Chrollo waved his hand dismissively and Kurapika left the office room as fast as he could, feeling rather sickly all of a sudden.

On his way out of the building, Kurapika nearly collided with a figure waiting around the front door. Kurapika looked up at _who_ exactly he had run into and pursed his lips into a straight line.

“Kurapika,” Leorio said, surprised. “We need to talk, I think.”

Kurapika rocked on the backs of his heels, standing in the doorway awkwardly. His brain kept supplying him with mental images that he really _didn’t_ want to think about as Leorio’s toned forearm held the glass door open for him. Losing his patience, Kurapika snapped. He had had enough of tall, dark men keeping him from procrastinating work with a good Netflix show in the comfort of his own apartment.

“Actually, we _don’t_ have to. I told you already, last night was a one-time thing. This is purely an unfortunate coincidence. For your sake as well as my _professionalism_ , I implore that you regard our relationship as strictly business,” Kurapika bit out angrily. “I have to go now. Excuse me,” he pushed past Leorio.

“That’s not fucking _fair,_ Kurapika,” Leorio shouted after him. “We can’t just run from our problems because you’re ashamed of what we did. Can’t you just talk it out with me over coffee or something?”

“There’s nothing more to it!” Kurapika retorted, pitch raising angrily. “You keep this under wraps. _I’m_ interested in keeping my job. End of story.”

Leorio ran a hand through his hair angrily before throwing his hands up to his chest. “Fine. Whatever. I won’t bring it up anymore, if that’s what you really want.”

“It is.”

“Cool. Great, actually,” Leorio said through a scowl. “See you around.”

Kurapika forced himself to pivot on his heel and walk away, still fuming from their conversation. He slammed his apartment door closed with a huff and dumped his stuff on the ground, flipping the television on distract himself.

However, no amount of rom-coms seemed to satisfy his need for a happy ending and Kurapika found himself stalking off to his kitchen to irritably pour himself a cup of tea.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm just a big fat cliché

For the rest of the week, Kurapika spent all of his time in his apartment hunched over his square leather-bound notebook, scribbling out doodles and outlines of silhouettes to choose from. His browser had an endless amount of tabs of different fashion blogs, his multiple Pinterest accounts, as well as fabric samples and inspiration. His desk was a cluttered heap. His diet consisted of nothing but coffee, switching from the calming tea he normally drank to something as bitter as he was feeling.

Despite going _against_ his initial idea he had formulated on his birthday, to spend more time outdoors and to get out of his apartment every once and a while, Kurapika didn’t feel guilty about crawling right back to his reclusive ways as soon as he had a project to focus on. Soon enough, the only thing Kurapika could think about was the outfits that he was going to need to create.

Kurapika found that any time he spent _not_ working on his project was time wasted, which prevented him from enjoying even the simplest things in his otherwise mundane life. He became more critical, too, picking apart every minor detailing, analyzing the finalized versions of his sketches until his head spun and the drawing blurred on the page.

By the time Monday rolled around, Kurapika was more than happy to fork over his design plans to his boss, just happy to finally receive praise and criticism from the person who could make or break his career. He held his breath as he passed the papers over to a smartly dressed Chrollo Lucilfer in an Armani black crepe suit and a Christian Lacroix silk tie.

Chrollo said nothing as he looked over Kurapika’s papers with a level gaze, occasionally _hm_ ing or nodding his head. Kurapika shifted on his feet and resisted the urge to toy with the ends of his hair in anticipation. Finally, Chrollo looked up from his papers to give his thoughts.

“These are certainly lovely designs. I can see why Bisky spoke so highly of you,” Chrollo complimented. “However, I simply must know. Do you truly think that you will be able to accomplish all of this before the deadline?”

“There is no doubt in my mind, Sir, that I will be able to present you with the most breathtaking line for your show. I will put everything I have into the outfits I create, as always,” Kurapika said. Chrollo just rubbed his hands together and grinned, handing Kurapika his papers back.

“Glad to hear it. I’m very excited to see what you can come up with using the color palettes for each model. It’ll definitely give a new sort of depth to our collection.”

Kurapika hoisted his bag up onto his arm. “It will,” he agreed. “The basic shapes and fabrics will be attached and ready for fittings in a month, before I start to add the embellishments and final touches.”

“Perfect. And, Kurapika,” Chrollo’s voice made Kurapika stop in his tracks, from where he was trying to scurry off back to his apartment in order to get a head start on creating the garments now that he had received the green light from his boss. “When you have some free time, I was wondering if you’d be interested on going out for dinner with me? You know, as coworkers. To get to know each other more intimately,” Chrollo smiled.

Kurapika’s mouth gaped open, then shut, then opened to speak again. Each time he found the words dying in the back of his throat and eventually settled on a halfassed thumbs-up and a tight lipped smile.

“I know this Italian place not too far from here. Which night this week would you be free to go out with me?” Chrollo asked Kurapika, seemingly turning a blind eye to the blonde’s impatience. Kurapika looked up at the ceiling in annoyance.

“You meant right away? Like _this_ week, this week?” Kurapika asked. Chrollo leaned back against his desk and tapped his foot on the carpeted floor of his office.

“ _Yes,”_ he bit out, “I’m a busy man. Consider yourself lucky that I’ve opened my schedule to take you out for an expensive supper any time this week. These kinds of things rarely happen, you know.”

He’s _a busy man?_ Kurapika thought to himself indignantly. _I don’t see Chrollo busting his ass over perfecting which colors of taffeta and gemstones go best with which model’s complexion. But he’s the overworked one. Likely._

“Much as I appreciate the offer, Sir,” Kurapika grimaced, “I’m afraid I’ll have to think it over. My own schedule is very tight this week. I’m truly sorry about it.”

Chrollo’s face fell down into a frown, eyes narrowing in calculation. “Alright,” he said slowly, “If there’s really nothing you can do about it, than so be it. But, if you ever change your mind, just know that I’m available whenever you need me.”

“Mhm. Yes, I know. Goodbye, Mr. Lucilfer.”

“Call me Chrollo!” Chrollo shouted after Kurapika’s receding back, missing the blonde’s shiver of disgust entirely as he walked away. The receptionist shot a pitying glance at him.

“Don’t worry, he says that to everyone,” she said to Kurapika.

_Does he ask all of his employees out on dates, too, or is that just my luck?_ Kurapika wanted to say, but loud yelling coming from outside made him hold his tongue and push the front door of the building open.

Kurapika hadn’t expecting the scene that met him and quickly went to pass the noisy people without being noticed. Leorio was standing on the sidewalk, not looking at Kurapika due to a heated conversation between himself and a woman Kurapika had never seen before. Her height was staggering, from her heels to her high ponytail practically on the crown of her head.

“-But I just feel like I don’t know you anymore, Leorio! Ugh!” She pushed her sparkly pink clutch into his chest. “Ever since you asked me to break up, I expected a call, even a message, _something_ ,” she cried dramatically.

“Don’t give me that, Baise! I just thought you’d need some space,” Leorio insisted. She wiped at her eyes, smudging her liner with a sniff.

“I thought so too. But now I realize that I still want you in my life.”

Leorio sighed heavily, eyebrows pinched. Kurapika watched the scene with wide eyes, idling a little behind the two of them. He wasn’t trying to be nosy, but something about Leorio having a relationship around the time they had hooked up wasn’t sitting right with him. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his morals, or jealousy. Or both.

“Ok. Here’s an idea. I’ll take you out some time this week, just the two of us, alright? So you won’t feel like I’m ignoring you. Does that work, Baise?”

Clearly it did because the woman practically launched herself at Leorio before he could get all the words out, his proposition getting punctuated by an _oof_ as Baise clung to his midsection tightly. Kurapika took the moment as his time to leave, ashamed of the envy that was blurring his rationality. Watching the two of them and knowing that Leorio likely cared more about Baise than himself made Kurapika wish, just for a moment, that it was him who was tucking his face into Leorio’s chest.

When he got back to his apartment, Kurapika kicked off his ankle boots and leaned against his kitchen counter, pulling his phone out of his pocket without giving himself more time to think about what he was doing. He punched in a new number and hit dial.

“Who is this?”

“Sir? Er… Chrollo? Hello,” Kurapika bit his lip. “It’s Kurapika.”

“Kurapika?” Chrollo asked in shock. “That was fast! What’s going on with you?”

“Aha,” Kurapika laughed nervously. “Yup. Well, it would seem that my schedule’s been cleared up a little bit, so I was wondering if you might want to go out for supper tomorrow?” As a common courtesy, Kurapika would have asked for the date to be on a Friday or a Saturday night, however he was slightly desperate for a distraction from Leorio and his (girl?)friend.

“I knew you would come around,” Chrollo said confidently. Kurapika resisted the urge to hang up on the man. “Sure, that sounds good with me. Shall I pick you up from your apartment?”

“No, no, I’ll be fine. If you could just tell me the address of the place...?”

...

Around eight the next day, Kurapika was seated alone at his table, a booth spot that was large enough to fit more than just two people. A little placeholder with the name _Lucilfer_ scrawled in cursive lettering sat next to the bread basket in the middle.

Kurapika took a small bread roll from the basket and picked at it miserably, uncaring wether or not he waited for Chrollo’s arrival. He was starting to regret his decision to even say yes to Chrollo’s proposition seeing as Kurapika had zero interest in the man.

Chrollo came ten minutes later, shrugging off his black Brioni jersey jacket and taking his spot in front of Kurapika. Trying his best, Kurapika shot Chrollo a small smile.

“Thank you for offering to bring me here. It’s a nice place.”

Chrollo waved his hand dismissively. “It was no problem. Who knows, if this goes well, I’ll bring you to an even better place next time. How does private dining sound to you? Picture it: Musicians playing your favorite songs, king-sized banquet tables lined with the finest silks flown from Persia, oysters and lobsters sautéed in honey and oil from only the _purest_ of suppliers all the way in...”

Kurapika eventually tuned the man out, occasionally nodding to what he had to say or offer brief commentary. To his delight, the time they spent together never got the chance to turn to the awkward side of things because Chrollo talked enough for the both of them.

He even managed to talk around large sips of wine, once their drinks arrived. Assuming that Chrollo was going to pay for the both of them, seeing as they were at such an expensive place, Kurapika figured he would order very lightly. However, when he tried to order a salad as his main dish, Chrollo’s expression scared him into adding a small bowl of pasta to his meal. Only then was Chrollo satisfied with Kurapika’s order and went on to order for himself.

Once the waiter left their table and went to the back, Chrollo focused on something over Kurapika’s shoulder as he raised his wine glass to his lips. “Well would you look at that!” Chrollo face brightened as he waved his arm above his head, leaning out into the aisle, getting most of the restaurant to look at them. “Leorio! Over here,” he called out.

Kurapika was scared to turn around and focused intently on the bread basket sitting in front of himself.

_FUCK._

_“_ Oh, Sir! Hey!” Leorio’s voice rung out, getting closer to Kurapika. By the dim lighting in the room, Leorio surely hadn’t noticed Kurapika sitting there in the booth yet.

Chrollo got up from his spot and went to shake Leorio’s hand as Kurapika tipped back his glass of wine and downed it all. The food suddenly seemed unappetizing.

“Ah, Baise is with you as well. Seems like its a work meeting now!” Chrollo chuckled. Leorio joined in as well.

“And who’s the lovely lady joining you here tonight?” Leorio asked with a wiggle of his brows. However, Chrollo just laughed even harder.

“You’re hilarious, Leorio. Come on, Kurapika, don’t be a stranger.”

Kurapika could practically picture the look on Leorio’s face before he got up and stood in the aisle to face the man. “Hello,” he said with a wince. Leorio looked back and forth between Chrollo and Kurapika and ran a hand through his hair, frowning in surprise.

“Wow. Okay,” he stammered out. Baise, none the wiser, extended her hand to Kurapika.

“Lovely to meet you! I’m Baise. I’m the hair and makeup specialist on Chrollo’s team,” she introduced herself. Kurapika smiled at her.

“Kurapika, fashion designer. Nice to meet you as well,” he said. They all stared at each other for a second in awkward silence before Chrollo clapped his hands.

“Well, we have more than enough room at our table! Why don’t you two join us until the food gets here?” Kurapika’s eye twitched. Chrollo was making his job of avoiding Leorio increasingly difficult.

“We couldn’t possibly-”

“Nonsense!” Chrollo smiled obliviously. “Its completely fine with us.” The furtive glance shared between Leorio and Baise said it all, but finally Leorio huffed a sigh and accepted Chrollo’s offer.

“If you insist.”

Chrollo and Kurapika sat on one side of the booth while Baise and Leorio sat on the other both pairs facing each other. Chrollo ordered wine for them as well, flagging a waiter over to fetch them the drinks. Kurapika had a flush crawling across the bridge of his nose and cheekbones as Leorio looked his face over not-so-subtly, eyebrows still raised at the idea of Kurapika and Chrollo being on a date. Baise seemed to catch wind of Leorio’s glances at Kurapika and scowled, her mouth twisting with anger.

Out of the blue, Baise’s hand gripped Leorio’s on top of the table, making a show of twining their fingers together. Kurapika remembered how Leorio had held onto his hand that one night they shared together, how the man had leaned in to his ear and whispered the sweetest words of adoration. Kurapika bit his lip as he felt the waves of jealousy roll over his fickle body once more.

Leorio shuffled around in his spot, looking down at his and Baise’s hands uneasily but saying nothing. However, when Baise’s other hand reached somewhere under the table, Kurapika narrowed his eyes in anger. Baise looked content with herself and smirked as Leorio tensed up. Chrollo seemed to be blissfully unaware of what was going on and continued to ramble on.

Kurapika decided to give in to his petty side and hiked his thigh up onto Chrollo’s lap suddenly. He let his fingers run down Chrollo’s forearm and shot Leorio a smug look. Chrollo stopped talking for a moment and looked down at Kurapika, placing a hand on his thigh. However, all Kurapika could think of was Leorio’s hand on his leg instead of Chrollo’s, warm and comforting where Chrollo’s was cold and wrong. He felt sick.

“So how long have you two been together?” Leorio asked through a strained expression. The comment was enough to startle Kurapika out of his weird reverie and he stood up from the table, hopping into the aisle with haste.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” he announced. Chrollo nodded but Kurapika was already gone, trying to put space between himself and the odd tension emanating from everyone at the table.

He pushed the door open, relieved to see that no one was in the bathroom. Kurapika slumped against the sink counter, feeling yet another headache coming on. His head whipped up as the bathroom door was flung open loudly, with Leorio standing in the doorway. He looked pissed.

“What’s your problem?” Kurapika snapped, shakily pushing off of the counter.

Leorio rolled his sleeves up on his shirt, jacket having been presumably left at their table. “What’s _my_ problem? You were the one rubbing up against our boss like a dog in heat! It’s not my fault I didn’t know you two were together.” Kurapika bristled at Leorio’s words.

“We’re _not_ together. Maybe if you asked me like a normal person I would have told you. Besides, your girlfriend Baise started it, feeling you up in the middle of a restaurant like that.” Kurapika’s words sounded childish even to himself, but he pushed on for the sole purpose of getting his point across. He knew he wasn’t the _only_ one at fault here. “Speaking of which, that’s a development, isn’t it? You having a _girlfriend?_ ”

“ _Ex_ ,” Leorio growled from the back of his throat, walking closer towards Kurapika. Kurapika did the same, until they were practically touching chests. “Maybe if _you_ asked me about that, you’d have been informed instead of jumping to conclusions.”

“Exes don’t go on dates together,” Kurapika protested.

“Neither do bosses and employees,” Leorio shot right back at him, before his tone softened. “Why’d you even decide to go out with Chrollo? He doesn’t deserve someone like you.”

Kurapika looked away from Leorio’s deep brown eyes. “None of your business. I was bored, that’s all.”

“You could have asked me instead, then.”

“No I couldn’t. You know why.”

“I do?” Leorio asked. “Is it because relationships inside of work are inappropriate? Because if that’s true, then going out with Chrollo, regardless of being friends or not, seems like a direct violation of that little rule.”

“Mm.” Kurapika hummed. “Well, I spent most of the night wishing he was you. Feel free to take that any way you want.” He blushed and looked away from Leorio’s piercing gaze. _Why the fuck did I just tell him that? I’m such an idiot._

“Is that true? Or is it just your boredom speaking again?” Leorio asked Kurapika, hands tentatively trailing up the blonde’s arms to rest on his back. In response, Kurapika pressed himself closer into Leorio’s chest.

“I guess you’d have to find out,” he muttered against Leorio’s chest. He could hear the man’s heart beating quickly and felt his own thrum in fondness.

“Fuck. How am I supposed to forget about you when you act like this, Kurapika?” Leorio mumbled with low-set eyelids. Kurapika reached up to grasp the sides of the man’s face, tilting his head up.

“Maybe we shouldn’t try to forget each other.” Kurapika let Leorio’s hands run through his hair before he slotted their lips together, kissing as if they hadn’t seen each other in months. Kurapika moaned into the kiss, delighting in the feel of Leorio’s mouth pressed against his own. Leorio bit his bottom lip, licking into his mouth as Kurapika’s arms came to rest around his shoulders.

Once they pulled back, both of their lips red and stung from the nipping, Leorio smiled faintly.

“We should get back. They’ll start to wonder what took us so long.”

Kurapika sighed. “Let them wonder. It’s not like we’re dating either of them.” Leorio chuckled and fixed Kurapika’s hair, combing through his bangs with his fingers gently before tucking a strand of his blonde locks behind his ear.

“Still. Much as I would like to continue this, a bathroom restaurant does not sound like the ideal place for the things I have in mind. Take _that_ any way you would like.”

Kurapika face split into a grin as he straightened his shirt collar. “Oh, I will.”


End file.
